Compound turbine or water wheel.



I No. 674,800. Patented May 2|, l90l.

' C. V; STALEY.

COMPOUND TURBINE UR WATEB WHEEL.

(Application filed July 19, 1900.)

(N 0 M 0 d e I ll lTE STATES ATENT OFFICE,

CHARLES V. STALEY, OF HIGHPOINT, NORTH CAROLINA.

COMPOUND TURBINE OR WATER WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 674,800, dated May 21, 1901.

Application filed July 19, 1900- lb Cl/ZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, CHARLES V. STALEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Highpoint, in the county of Guilford and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Compound Turbine or Water Wheel, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in compound turbine or water wheels, the object of the invention being to produce a waterwheel equipped with means for utilizing the force of the water at a point beyond the location of the initial impact, or, in other words, to economize the use of the liquid motive agent by providing supplemental blades upon the water-wheel designed to receive the impact of the water after the latter has passed through the peripheral pockets of the wheel and has been exhausted therefrom subsequent to the utilization of its impact for the propulsion of the device.

To the accomplishment of the object stated, the invention consists in inclosing the turbine-wheel within a spiral casing and in deflecting the water from the peripheral pockets of the wheel against a series of inclined supplemental blades arranged in circular series and extending, respectively,above and below the wheel upon the exterior of the casing.

The invention also consists in a peculiar construction of the peripheral pockets of the wheel to obtain a direct impact of the water against the supplemental blades and in certain other details of construction, which will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and defined in the appended claims.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my turbine complete. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the water-wheel detached. Fig. at is a sectional view of the water-wheel, taken in the plane of the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View illustrating the effective relation of one of the peripheral pockets to the adjacent supplemental blades. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view through a portion of the wheel, showing the construction and relation of the tangential blades and peripheral pockets.

Referring to the numerals of reference employed to designate corresponding parts in Serial No. 24,238. (No model.)

the several views, 1 indicates a spiral casing or race, the top and bottom walls of which are provided with coincident circular openings 2 to accommodate the turbine or water wheel 3. The casing 1 is preferably constructed, as shown, with an extended throat 4 for the ingress of Water and disposed in a manner to direct the motive fluid in a tangential direction with respect to the wheel for reception in a series of tangential peripheral pockets 5, with which the latter is provided. While the pockets 5 may be formed in the wheel 3 in any suitable manner, the wheel is preferably composed of a solid hub 6, from the periphery of which extends a se-- ries of tangential and preferably slightlycurved blades 7, defining the peripheral pockets 5, having their end walls formed with angularly-related deflecting-faces 9 and 10, the juncture of which forms an advance crest 11, disposed horizontally at or about the vertical center of the wheel. The top and bottom walls of these pockets 5 are in this embodiment of the wheel formed by a pair of annular top and bottom plates 12 and 13, encircling the hub 6 and secured in any suitable manner against the opposite edges of the blades 7.

. The construction of the wheel described is substantially identical with turbines now in use, with the exception of the provision of oppositely-inclined deflecting-faces formed in the end walls of the pockets.

It has been premised that the object of the present invention is to provide a compound water-wheel utilizing the force of the current of Water after the latter has been utilized in the peripheral pockets for the propulsion of the wheel. To accomplish this end,the plates 12 and 13 are provided with series of ports or openings 14; and 15 immediately in front of the deflecting-faces 9 and 10,through which openings or ports the water projected into the peripheral pockets 5 is designed to be deflected by the faces 9 and 10 for the purpose of causing the water exhausted from the peripheral pocketsto strike the supplemental blades 16 and 17, extending above and below the annular plates 12 and 13 and inclined to overhang and underhang, respectively, the discharge-ports of the pockets. Each of the supplemental blades 16 and 17 is transversely disposed in a direction radial with respect to the wheel and the inclination of their im pactfaces 18 is such as to dispose said faces substantially at right angles to the deflectingfaces 9 and 1 0 in order that the water defiected through the ports 14 and 15 will strike the faces 18 of the supplemental blades squarely. By reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings it will be seen that the annular plates or walls 12 and 13 are horizontally coincident with the top and bottom walls of the casing or race, the purpose of this being to locate the supplemental blades entirely outside of the casing to permit the water after striking said blades to escape freely without exerting a back pressure opposed to the rotation of the wheel.

Obviously any form of mounting may be provided for a wheel constructed and designed to be operated in accordance with my invention, but for the purpose of completing an operative structure in the present disclosure I have shown a trunnion 19 extending axially from the bottom of the hub and a shaft 20 extending above the hub, the latter havinga bearing in a surmounting bracket 21, bolted upon the casing, and the former having a step-bearing in a bearing-frame 22, located below and designed to support the casing during the operation of the turbine. For the translation of power generated by the tn rbine the latter may be geared directly or indirectly with suitable translating machinery, and the usual devices may be employed for regulating the supply of water to the casing or race.

From the foregoing it will appear that I have produced a simple, durable, and efficient turbine of compound form provided with supplemental blades, against which the motive liquid is discharged after utilization in the peripheral pockets, but while the specific construction and arrangement for accomplishing this purpose are preferable, as described and illustrated, I do not limit myself. to the construction and arrangement shown, as, on the contrary, I reserve the right to effect such changes, modifications, and variations of both form and arrangement as may be suggested by experience and experiment, provided that such changes and variations are comprehended within the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is 1. Aturbine wheel provided with a series of longitudinally-curved tangential blades forming peripheral pockets, the end wall of each of which comprises a pair of oppositelyinclined faces extending from a horizontal advanced crest located at the vertical center of the end wall, and a pair of annular plates fitted upon the wheel above and below the tangential blades and provided with ports through which water is designed to be deflected from the inclined end walls of the pockets, and oppositely-inclined longitudinally-curved supplemental blades extending from the annular plates and disposed substantially at right angles to the adjacent inclined faces.

2. The combination with a scroll provided in its top and bottom walls with coincident circular openings, a bearing-frame below the scroll and a bearing-bracket above the scroll, of a turbine wheel comprisinga solid hub extended above and below the scroll and tangential blades forming pockets, the end wall of each of which comprises a pair of oppositely-inclined faces extending from a horizontal advanced crest located at the vertical center of the end wall, a pair of removable annular plates encircling the hub above and below the blades and disposed, respectively, in the planes of the top and bottom walls of the scroll and located wi thin the circular ope nings to constitute bearing members for the wheel, and oppositely-inclined supplemental blades extending from the annular plates and disposed substantially at right angles to the adjacent inclined faces of said end walls.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES V. STALEY.

Witnesses:

R. A. SLAUGHTER, A. P. STALEY. 

